Dress on a Dime consignment sale set in Ventura

Bargain hunters will find a little slice of low-cost paradise at Dress on a Dime, a four-day women's shopping event this month in Ventura.

"If you're into shopping, this is the way to go. Nobody needs to pay full price. You can get 90 percent off retail here, and you're getting just as nice items," event organizer Lori Borrajo of Ventura said.

Dress on a Dime sales feature new and gently used women's clothing items and accessories, an idea that started in Santa Clarita with Shelly Gomez and Kal DePaco.

Gomez said the two of them came up with the idea of large consignment events in 2008 because there were no secondhand stores in their area.

"We didn't have any consignment stores in the area, and we were doing eBay and garage sales and realized there was a need," Gomez said.

The women tried to start events in other communities. They soon realized having women who lived in those communities do the organizing would be easier, and so they set up a franchising arrangement.

"We realized it was difficult for us to market in cities that we don't live in. It's easier for other women who can get word out through other moms in playground discussions and at school," Gomez said. "We decided to go more in the direction of selling the sales franchise in other cities."

The Ventura sale is being organized by Borrajo and Susan Stater, another Ventura mother. Borrajo said she found out about Dress on a Dime through a friend. Borrajo was so impressed, she volunteered at the next scheduled sale, at which a man and his wife who had brought items to sell thanked her for helping them earn extra money for the holidays.

"I started thinking: This is a lot more. I'm shopping and buying things I could never afford, and at the end they donate things to charity. In this economy, where we are, this is huge."

The next Dress on a Dime sale will be the second in Ventura. The first was in a warehouse building on Knoll Drive, where 70 vendors offered more than 7,000 items for women. Borrajo said they are excited about moving the event to the fairgrounds, where they will hold it in the much larger Santa Rosa Hall.

Borrajo and Stater's franchise area is from Santa Barbara to Thousand Oaks. The plan is to bring the sales to those cities twice a year, in addition to Ventura.

People who want to sell items at the upcoming Dress on a Dime event can visit http://dressonadime.net and get online access for $15.

"Everything is easily done at home. You pick the items and the costs. Sunday, everything goes on sale for half-price," Borrajo said.

At the end of the sale, consignors can donate unsold items to local charities or save them until the next sale. The Ventura Dress on a Dime event will benefit Project Understanding, the TenderLife Maternity Home and the Prom Project.

Dress on a Dime will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 26-29 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, 10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura. Admission is free. The fairgrounds charges $5 for parking. For information, call 258-8776 or email dressonadimevta@gmail.com